Tag Archives: Creative Writing

“Our pioneers keep striking, inwards and downwards:” Poetry in Northern Ireland

The first thing that drew me to Belfast was poetry. After spending a year poring through the verse of Northern Ireland’s poets, I wanted too to live “in Belfast between the mountain and the gantries/To the hooting of lost sirens … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2015, Northern Ireland, Queen's University Belfast | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Coming to the End/Beginning

In my last couple of blogs I reflected on politics and identity in Northern Ireland.  My thoughts on those subjects are developing, but as the end of my time in Northern Ireland draws near,  I’ll pivot toward personal reflections on … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2012, Queen's University Belfast | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thanks, Lads

My other reflections centered on my life in Galway, the structure of my days, all those funny little things you learn about a country by living there, and not just visiting.  (Isn’t it amazing that you can get a decent … Continue reading

Posted in Class of 2011, National University of Ireland Galway | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

June 2009 Reflection

This time last year, I was in a hospital, visiting a good friend who had just swallowed a bottle of pills. His hospital room was packed with friends and family, and we played flute and guitar and sang. The nurses … Continue reading

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March 2009 Reflection

It was springtime, and my junior high band, from D.R. Gaul Middle School in Union, Maine, was having a concert at a school an hour away in Waterville, Maine. I don’t remember much of the concert except that it was … Continue reading

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January 2009 Reflection

Michael O’Loughlin’s office looks like God’s waiting room. It’s on the top floor—the fifth—of the Oscar Wilde Center, off a tiny landing, behind a white door. At the far end of the room are two tables and two chairs. On … Continue reading

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November 2008 Reflection

I was terrified to leave Maine. The weeks before I left for Ireland, I busied myself with cleaning clothes, packing, and sewing up all the little tears in my shirts and jacket and in the quilt my Nana made years … Continue reading

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June 2007 Reflection

I am writing this final entry as my three suitcases lay open beside me (and as I’m wondering whether they will be enough!). In two days I will be going back to my hometown in New Jersey to spend the … Continue reading

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March 2007 Reflection

As I am writing this I can feel winter turning to spring—it was sunny and warm out today. There were people eating their lunches on the benches by the playing fields. I was surprised to see flowers blooming already. In … Continue reading

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January 2007 Reflection

I have to admit, it was a little tough coming back to the cold and the drizzle after spending Christmas break in the Cayman Islands! But after a day mourning the loss of summer weather, I consoled myself with planning … Continue reading

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November 2006 Reflection

Coming to Dublin was definitely the best thing I ever could have done after graduation. I have to say, I feel more relaxed and more fulfilled here than I have in many years! I have a wonderful room in the … Continue reading

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